Cultural/Worship, Award of Merit: San Diego Central Library, San Diego
San Diego's Central Library was meant to be an icon. With a shimmering three-story steel-covered dome "hovering" over the edifice, the completed building has met that objective, say Best Projects judges. The dome gives the exterior visual drama and provides a lofty interior volume above the reading room. The $153-million, LEED-Silver library has a 350-seat auditorium, 400-seat multipurpose room, center for teenagers, children's library, technology center, outdoor plaza and café and two underground parking levels. The nine-story library also contains two levels for charter-school use. Disadvantaged local contractors performed more than 20% of the trade work. Their crews learned to use high-tech tools, including scheduling through building information modeling.
Key Players
Contractor Turner Construction Co.
Owner City of San Diego
Lead Design Firm Rob Wellington Quigley | Tucker Sadler Architects
Structural Engineer Martin Libby Engineers Inc.
Civil Engineer Flores Lund Consultants
Mep Engineers SC Engineers; LSW Engineers
